Some food companies have taken the initiative to remove titanium dioxide from some of their products. An amendment has been made by policymakers to ban titanium dioxide in France.

Is this ingredient that sounds like it is part metal, part chemical safe? We reached out to Paul Westerhoff, PhD, PE, BCEE, Vice Dean for Research and Innovation, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University for some answers.

“I don’t think TiO₂ [titanium dioxide] poses a human health risk,” he said.

What is titanium dioxide and why is it used in food production?

Dr. Westerhoff: “Titanium dioxide is a common additive in many food, personal care, and other consumer products. It is sometimes used as a whitener and sometimes as an anti-caking agent (to prevent the product from clumping). Titanium dioxide also gives some products texture –It can also be used to create abrasion, as is found in some toothpastes.”

What products contain titanium dioxide?

Dr. Westerhoff: “Titanium dioxide is most commonly found in candies, sweets and chewing gums. it’s used in some chocolate to give it a smooth texture and is used in doughnuts to provide color and texture. Among personal care items, it’s most commonly found in toothpaste and some sunscreen lotions.”

Is titanium dioxide safe for human consumption?

Dr. Westerhoff: “Although there is not a lot of information available on the risks associated with consumption of titanium dioxide, it is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Research conducted by Arizona State University analyzed numerous readily-available products for the presence of titanium dioxide, including powdered doughnuts, chewing gum, whipped frosting, vanilla pudding and chocolate bars. Our research found the presence of titanium dioxide in the products tested, and also found that up to 5 percent of the titanium dioxide in some products was in the form of nanoparticles. Toxicity studies on nanoparticles in titanium dioxide have mainly focused on risks associated with inhalation and not consumption.

“Children are exposed to more titanium dioxide than adults due to diet. Their diets consist of more candies, sweets and gum, but this tends to change as children get older.”

Are there alternatives to titanium dioxide that food companies could use?

Dr. Westerhoff: “Other ingredients that could possibly be used in place of titanium dioxide include calcium phosphate and silica dioxide.”

In addition to Dr. Westerhoff’s expert insight, we found this article in The Conversation that addressed questions about titanium dioxide. Some key takeaways:

• Titanium dioxide (not metal titanium) is an inactive, insoluble material that makes things look whiter – it’s in many products, including food, paper, paint and plastics.
• The biggest concerns about titanium dioxide seem to be specific to nanoparticles, but one expert explained that “assuming one type [of nanoparticle] …is potentially harmful because of what another type does is the equivalent of avoiding apples because you’re allergic to oysters.”
• Some studies demonstrate the potential for harm, but lack information on how much material and under what conditions significant harm could occur. Other studies show no effects.

Additional Resources:

Weir, A., Westerhoff, P., Fabricius, L., Hristovski, K., von Goetz, N. “Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Food and Personal Care Products,” Environmental Science and Technology (2012)

Singh, G., Stephan, C., Westerhoff, P., Carlander, D., Duncan, T. “Measurement Methods to Detect, Characterize, and Quantify Engineered Nanomaterials in Foods,”Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety (2014)

Originally posted April 2, 2015.

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Just because you’re not familiar with an ingredient, doesn’t necessarily mean you should avoid it, according to Robert Gravani, PhD, a food scientist professor at Cornell University.

“Companies don’t just add products or substances just for the sake of adding,” said Gravani during an interview on National Public Radio. “They have some functional purpose in the production or preparation or the appeal of that particular product to consumers.”

Additives are used in foods for very specific purposes
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Additives are used in foods for very specific purposes, said Gravani: to maintain and enhance nutritional value, to maintain quality and freshness and to reduce waste. Ammonium sulfate, azodicarbonamide, and L-cysteine, for example, are used to produce more stable dough in breads and other baked goods. Lactic acid and sodium carbonate control acidity and prevent spoilage. And glycerin and sorbitol help retain moisture in products like shredded coconut and marshmallows.

“In many cases, additives improve our health,” he said. Raise your hand if you know someone with a major nutritional disease like pellagra? Haven’t heard of it? Probably because we’ve eliminated it by adding niacin to bread products and flours, said Gravani. How about goiter? Nope. “We’ve eliminated that by adding iodine to our salt,” he said.

Consumers have choices – and they have every right to pose questions to the companies making their food, he said. Food companies around the world are trying to simplify labels and scientific terms whenever possible to help us better understand why a particular ingredient is included, said Gravani.

“I think it’s very important to look at the reasons we add them,” he said.

We also reached out to two of our nutrition experts to get their take on this topic.

Carolyn O’Neil, MS, RD:

While consumers certainly have the right to know what’s in their food and whether ingredients are hazardous or healthy, simplistic advice to avoid any ingredients with chemical names that are difficult to pronounce doesn’t help.  If you see ascorbic acid on a food label, that’s vitamin C.  Sodium chloride is table salt. Natural ingredients have chemical names, too.

As a registered dietitian I believe it’s best to tell consumers as much as possible about why a food ingredient is used and explain how the amount per serving meets federal safety standards.

Julie M. Jones, PhD, CNS, LN, CFS, FICC:

This is not at all a good rule of thumb. For example, cyanocobalamin is vitamin B12; stilbene resverotrol is the antioxidant in red wine; guar and xanthan gums extracted from plants add dietary fiber to the diet. These are just a few of a million examples.

We would be happy to help answer any of the ‘whys,’ the ‘hows’ and the ‘whats’ you may have about food additives. Mull them over while you’re munching on that malus domestica (that‘s an apple, by the way) and then send them our way!

_{“Salts” by Larry Hoffmanmizo is licensed under CC BY ND.}

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Grocer: “Can I help you find something?”

Shopper: “Why, yes! I’m looking for sodium aluminosilicate, butylated hydroxyanisole, and potassium metabisulfite.

Grocer: “Sure! Right over here!”

Frankly, we don’t know anyone who would have these items on a grocery list. Heck, most of us probably can’t even pronounce them without some tutoring from a food scientist. But it’s likely you’ve consumed these ingredients if you’ve ever eaten grated cheese or cereal, or enjoyed a glass of wine.

What do you know about the additives in your food? Particularly, those mysterious ingredients on the label that have us all scratching our heads and wondering “Is this stuff good for me and my family?”

Adding to that concern – some additives are banned in other countries but not in the U.S. For example, citing health reasons, Europe and Japan have banned brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, a chemical used to distribute flavor in popular bottled drinks like Gatorade and Mountain Dew. (Editor’s note: PepsiCo Inc. is removing BVO from its Gatorade sports drink in response to customer complaints.)

Today’s consumer certainly is more label conscious – and that’s good. But when we don’t know the lingo and can’t decipher the gobbledygook, labels are rendered meaningless. We end up making purchases with less confidence and cross our fingers that what we’re about to eat is safe.

Should we consume foods with ingredients we can’t pronounce? Just because you’re not familiar with an ingredient, doesn’t necessarily mean you should avoid it, according to Dr. Robert Gravani, a food scientist professor at Cornell University.

Just because you’re not familiar with an ingredient, doesn’t necessarily mean you should avoid it
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“Companies don’t just add products or substances just for the sake of adding,” said Gravani during an interview on National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation.” “They have some functional purpose in the production or preparation or the appeal of that particular product to consumers.”

Additives are used in foods for very specific purposes, said Gravani: to maintain and enhance nutritional value, to maintain quality and freshness and to reduce waste. “We really want to make more foods readily available,” he said, and that’s especially important considering the food industry must feed 310 million people in the U.S. alone.

Ammonium sulfate, azodicarbonamide, and L-cysteine, for example, are used to produce more stable dough in breads and other baked goods. Lactic acid and sodium carbonate control acidity and prevent spoilage. And glycerin and sorbitol help retain moisture in products like shredded coconut and marshmallows.

In many cases, additives improve our health, he said.

Raise your hand if you know someone with a major nutritional disease like pellagra? Haven’t heard of it? Probably because we’ve eliminated it by adding niacin to bread products and flours, said Gravani. How about goiter? Nope. “We’ve eliminated that by adding iodine to our salt,” he said.

Gravani said we’ve eliminated many nutritional diseases and enhanced foods’ nutritional value with food additives.

“We as a society wouldn’t be where we are today without food additives,” he said, but that doesn’t mean we should blindly consume without asking questions.

Consumers have choices – and they have every right to pose questions to the companies making their food, he said.

Food companies around the world are trying to simplify labels and scientific terms whenever possible to help us better understand why a particular ingredient is included, said Gravani.

“I think it’s very important to look at the reasons we add them,” he said.

We do, too.  We would be happy to help answer any of the ‘whys,’ the ‘hows’ and the ‘whats’ you may have about food additives. Mull them over while you’re munching on that malus domestica (that‘s an apple, by the way) and then send them our way!

_{“Exotic Ingredients” by Dirk Haun is licensed under CC BY.}

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